1 1 



THE ORPINGTONS 



ripportunity to judge which were the best pure breeds. I 

 ha\ u found good layers of every breed, and I have never 

 yet kept any breed of fowls some of which did not lay all 

 through the winter months. In this way I proved that the 

 laying powers of the fowls are not so much regulated by 

 the breed as by the strain. I found that the Plymouth 

 Rock stood at the head of the list, for laying and table 

 qualities combined, for some years, but an idea occurred 

 to me that I could improve even on this. I will mention 

 (1) how I did it, and (2) why. I believed that a better 

 all round fowl could be produced for laying and table pur- 

 poses, which would at the same time suit the public. 

 I found out, by visiting many exhibitions and poultry 

 yards, that some liked the Minorca fowls, but that their 

 white-shelled eggs and big combs, which so soon get frost- 



BLACK ORPINGTON COCKEREL— ENGLISH-AMERICAN 

 TYPE 



Picture shows first prize Blacli Orpington cockerel at Mad- 

 ison Square Garden, December, 1908-January, 1909, as exhib- 

 ited by Wm. Cook & Sons, Kent, England and Scotch Plains, 

 New Jersey, U. S. A. The Cook Farm at Scotch Plains is in 

 charge of Percy A. Cook, eldest son of the late Wm. Cook, 

 principal originator and early promoter of all varieties of 

 the Orpington fowls. 



bitten, were drawbacks to them. Then others fancied the 

 Langshan, but did not like the feathers on their legs. 

 Some had a fancy for the Black Rocks, but as they were 

 only sports from the speckled, and not an established 

 breed, they did not take as they otherwise would have 

 done. I took this all in, and resolved that from these 

 three useful breeds I could and would produce a bird to 

 suit the public. I took the three breeds, and commenced 

 mating Minorca cocks with Black Rock hens, then Lang- 

 shan cocks to the above hens. I may mention that I used 

 birds which exhibitors would have termed 'useless' — 

 Minorca cockerels with red in their ear-lobes, which caused 

 them to be unsuitable for breeding pure birds; the black 



Plymouth Rock hens thrown on one side by exhibitors as 

 being sports only from the grey; and the clean-legged 

 Langshans of no use whatever to breed birds such as were 

 required by the standard of the Langshan Club at that 

 time. Such birds as these were put on one side for laying 

 purposes or for the pot. 



"Now, it is generally admitted by the breeders of all 

 these varieties (Langshans, Minorcas and Plymouth 

 Rocks) that the birds which I selected — the so-called 

 'useless' ones — are the best layers of their kind. Take 

 Minorcas, for instance, which have red or otherwise bad 

 ear lobes. They are usually the finest birds and lay be- 

 fore their more perfect sisters. Black Rocks frequently 

 lay a month or six weeks before the speckled birds and 

 they grow into the finest shaped birds also. 



"Langshans that come clean on the leg are also the 

 best layers. When I began to breed I started with four 

 pens of birds so that I might have unrelated strains to 

 avoid in-breeding, and then I only kept those which were 

 the type which I had in my mind's eye. It is only by care- 

 ful selection that a good bird or animal can be produced. 

 This breed has been before the public for three and a half 

 years, and they have made such rapid strides that they 

 have increased and spread over the country with wonder- 

 ful rapidity. Wherever a pen of birds or setting of eggs 

 go, more are sent for. They are capital winter and sum- 

 mer layers and very hardy, as they- stand the wet and cold 

 climates well. I have found them the best winter layers 

 of brown eggs that I have ever kept, and hundreds of 

 other breeders say the same. At the same time they are 

 very handsome fowls. The first year they were out I 

 only exhibited two birds at Crystal Palace, two at the 

 Dairy Show and two at Birmingham, and I received orders 

 for them from all parts of England. I was not prepared 

 for these orders and could not supply them. I only had 

 about sixty stock birds on hand and could not spare any 

 of these until after I had done breeding. 



"I sold about two hundred sittings of eggs from them 

 the first year. Classes were provided for them in 1887, and 

 they were acknowledged as a pure breed. The leading 

 shows provided classes for them in 1888, including Crystal 

 Palace, Dairy and Windsor shows and others. I may 

 mention that in 1887 a club was formed, which did a good 

 work in providing specials, etc., at the various shows 

 for the further development of the breed. Of course, this 

 interested secretaries in the variety and induced them to 

 provide classes. 



"The Orpingtons have the finest flesh and skin of any 

 fowl in existence, unless it is the Langshan, and they de- 

 velop more quickly than do the Langshans or Plymouth 

 Rocks; and if chickens of the three kinds are reared to- 

 gether, it will be found that the Orpingtons will gen- 

 erally grow right away from the others. I have seen cock- 

 erels turn the scale at nine, nine and a half and ten pounds 

 at six months old. They are spoken of by those who have 

 tried them as the best of table fowls. Of course they 

 have black legs, which is against them in the London mar- 

 kets, but after a person has once dined off one he puts up 

 with the black legs for the sake of the delicious meat, 

 which is much the same as a young turkey's in flavor and 

 color. As regards the eating part, I am sure no breed 

 can surpass them. As I have said, they are splendid table 

 fowls, good winter layers of brown eggs, and very hand- 

 some in the bargain. My pens are always open for in- 

 spection six days in the week. 



"The Orpingtons have single combs, standing erect 

 in the cocks, and the hen's may either stand up or fall 



